by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to RIC after their first year? Are RIC students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 76% students making it past their freshmen year, RIC has freshmen retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Rhode Island, the average is 78.84%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| RIC | 76% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Rhode Island | 78.84% |
Of the 1,026 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
Four years after beginning their degree, 19% of those students had graduated. By 2017, six years after starting their degree, 49% of the students had graduated and after eight years 53% of this class completed their degree.
Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical RIC graduation rate 49%.
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at RIC? The standard length of time for most students is 4.70 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 634 | 30% |
| Six Years | 1,026 | 49% |
| Eight Years | 75 | 4% |
| Did Not Complete | 996 | 47% |
Approximately 996 students or 47% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 996 students who did not complete their degree?
13 are still enrolled.
597 transferred to another institution.
RIC lost contact with the remaining 374 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 13 | 1.3% |
| Transferred | 597 | 59.9% |
| Dropped Out | 374 | 37.6% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 22% |
| Asian | 41% |
| Black / African-American | 29% |
| Hispanic | 40% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 30% |
| Unknown | 61% |
| White | 50% |
Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.
Traditional Students:
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.
Non-Traditional Students:
Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.
The majority of students at RIC are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.
First-time / full-time students at Rhode Island College represent 46% of the students in the class of 2015, and 43.08% of RIC bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 19%, first-time students in the RIC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the RIC graduation rate was 46%, and by the eight year mark, 50% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | RIC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 19% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 46% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 50% | 47.82% |
487 first-time / full-time students or 50% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
13 are still enrolled.
316 transferred to another institution.
RIC lost contact with the remaining 158 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 13 | 2.67% |
| Transferred | 316 | 64.89% |
| Dropped Out | 158 | 32.44% |
First-time / part-time students at Rhode Island College represent 1.62% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six-year graduation rate of 21%, first-time, part-time students in the RIC class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 24%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.
| First-Time / Part-Time Completions | RIC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 1% | 14.37% |
| Six Years | 21% | 21.59% |
| Eight Years | 24% | 23.72% |
26 first-time / part-time students or 76% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
14 transferred to another institution.
RIC lost contact with the remaining 12 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 14 | 53.85% |
| Dropped Out | 12 | 46.15% |
833 RIC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 39.72% of the students in the class of 2015.
Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.
With a six year graduation rate of 56%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 58%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | RIC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 56% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 58% | 55.07% |
348 non first-time / part-time students or 42% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
202 transferred to another institution.
RIC lost contact with the remaining 140 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 1.72% |
| Transferred | 202 | 58.05% |
| Dropped Out | 140 | 40.23% |
259 RIC students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 12.35% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 44%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 48%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | RIC | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 44% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 48% | 37.80% |
135 non first-time / part-time students or 52% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
6 are still enrolled.
65 transferred to another institution.
RIC lost contact with the remaining 64 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 6 | 4.44% |
| Transferred | 65 | 48.15% |
| Dropped Out | 64 | 47.41% |
